Gartner: PCs in higher demand since 2009

The popularity of PCs has grown drastically in the past year with a worldwide boost of 27.4 percent in first-quarter sales compared to 2009, according to a survey released by Gartner Inc.

Research by the company shows double-digit growth rates in all regions, with Asia-Pacific shipment numbers reaching 26.5 million units — a 36.9 per cent increase since last year. Results for the U.S. and Latin America were slightly lower than expected at 20.2 and 35.4 percent growth respectively.

Principal Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa stated that these first quarter results have exceeded the company's previous market outlook, which projected shipments to grow by 22 percent overall. “The stronger-than-expected growth was led by a robust recovery in the Europe, Middle East and Africa PC market, which grew 24.8 percent in the first quarter of 2010.

"With a relatively positive macroeconomic outlook, business demand was more forthcoming. Major PC replacement demand driven by Windows 7 will become more apparent in the second half of 2010 and the beginning of 2011.”

Hewlett-Packard maintained its top spot as the world’s top PC vendor with 15.3 million shipments. Acer represent the Asian competition in second place — its 12 million unit sales represented a sizeable 54 per cent increase in sales. Dell fell to third place with 10.2 million shipments.

Spokesperson for Gartner, Susan Moore, added that the Asia-Pacific PC market is now forecast to grow 17.2 per cent in terms of unit shipments in 2010, with Australia a big mover. “In the (Asia-Pacific) region’s mature PC markets like Australia, we expect stronger growth for 2010 as PC replacements gain momentum,” she said. “This reflects an expectation of increased IT budgets and the adoption of Windows 7.”

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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